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Ramadan: Muslim holy month

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A Palestinian boy plays with fireworks during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Gaza City, on Aug. 1. Muslims around the world are celebrating the holy fasting month of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, and smoking from dawn to dusk. Hatem Moussa/AP

Muslims in Dhaka, Bangladesh shop for delicacies used to break their fast during Ramadan, which begins Aug. 1. Pavel Rahman/AP

Libyans pray after breaking their fast on the first day of Ramadan, with a carpet portraying Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi at the square in rebel-held Benghazi, Libya, on Aug. 1. From Syria to Libya and Egypt, the uprisings and unrest gripping the Arab world have cast a pall on the start of Ramadan, when the traditional focus on piety appear likely be eclipsed by more unrest. Sergey Ponomarev/AP

A woman helps prepare 'Shofout,' a traditional Yemeni dish made with bread, yogurt, spices, and vegetables, ahead of a group Iftar on the first day of Ramadan, in Taghyeer Square in Sanaa, on Aug. 1. After six months of mass protests seeking to end president Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year rule, demonstrators vow to continue their sit-in at Taghyeer square through Ramadan until their demands are met. Jumana El Heloueh/Reuters

Britain's general elections used to be straightforward: a predominantly two-horse race between Labour or Conservative governments, left vs. right, red against blue. But as electioneering gets under way for May 7 polls, it's clear the vote has implications for British politics that extend well beyond whoever comes out on top.